THROUGHOUT THEIR University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball campaign, the Ateneo Blue Eagles had to fight—fight through a rough 4-4 start to the season, fight through rumors regarding Head Coach Bo Perasol, fight through their fair share of controversy. Their final game of Season 78–a Final Four matchup versus the second-seeded Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws–was no different.
Arguably, the twice-to-beat Tamaraws had the deeper squad, highlighted by the fact that their leaders, point guard Mike Tolomia and combo forward Mac Belo, came off the bench.
In their last game as Blue Eagles, the dynamic duo of reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kiefer Ravena and swingman Von Pessumal did their best to power the Ateneo through to a win. Ravena led the team with 25 points on 10/19 shooting while Pessumal chipped in with 15 points, six of which came from beyond the arc.
However, it was FEU that came out the victor, with Belo’s buzzer-beating putback in the dying seconds of the ball game putting away the resilient Blue Eagles, 74-76 on Saturday, November 21, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
The final flight
The Ateneo got off to a hot start against the Tamaraws, racing to a 4-0 lead courtesy of a floater from returning point guard Matt Nieto and a pull-up jumper from Ravena. From that point however, FEU took over the lead–and the game–forcing Perasol to mix things up with unorthodox lineups throughout the game.
The Tamaraws’ relentlessness on the boards threatened to put the game beyond the Ateneo’s reach a number of times in the second and third quarter. But despite a lackluster defensive effort, the Ateneo continued to find ways to score, their offense coming from Ravena, Pessumal, graduating center Ponso Gotladera, and rookie sensation Adrian Wong.
The Blue and White’s persistence finally paid off in the fourth quarter, when Wong gave Ateneo the lead for the first time since the first quarter off a timely three-pointer, a 67-66 advantage at that point.
The Blue Eagles and the Tamaraws would then continue to trade points until the last minute of the quarter, where the Ateneo held a slim three-point lead. Unfortunately, Ateneo was not able to score after that. FEU’s RR Pogoy hit a clutch three-ball to tie the game and Belo hit a buzzer-beating putback at the end of the ballgame to put the Blue and White away.
The end of an era
After the game, Pessumal, Ravena, Gotladera and forward Gwyne Capacio were seen thanking the Ateneo crowd before heading back to the locker rooms.
“I was in grade school, high school, college; I’ve been in Ateneo my whole life, so for me, I said thank you to every single one of them for cheering me, supporting me, not just in my college career, but for the entire stay in Ateneo,” Pessumal said.
This game also marked the end of Perasol’s tenure as the Ateneo’s head coach, already announcing his intention to leave the team at the end of his three-year contract. But amidst all the criticism he has received, both Ravena and Pessumal defended Perasol’s stint with the Blue and White.
“I think a lot of the reasons why alumni target him for us losing is that he’s not really that kind of guy who talks to the media a lot. He doesn’t really open up about the team. So it’s easy to blame him,” Pessumal said. “But, if you know him, he’s really the nicest guy in the world. I’ll still remember him as a great person, as a great coach.”
Ravena, for his part, wanted to repay Perasol for standing with the team despite the controversy surrounding them. “Lahat ng mga criticism, tinanggap ni Coach Bo. And us players, the only way to repay that is to win every game (All of the criticism, Coach Bo accepted. And us players, the only way to repay that is to win every game).”
The future awaits
Wong has been a breakout star for the Ateneo this season, as he finished the ballgame with 17 points off the bench, 11 of which came in the final quarter.
“Watch out. He will really explode [next season]. He has the qualities to be not just the star player of a team, but being a focal and a real leader,” Ravena said of Wong. “That’s what we really like about Adrian. Hopefully he stays healthy, and remains healthy all throughout his career.”
Wong is just one of eight rookies who suited up for the Blue Eagles this season. Other rookies who shined this season include combo guard Aaron Black, point guard Matt Nieto, and center Chibueze Ikeh.
Last year’s Rookie of the Year Arvin Tolentino shined in brief moments this season as well. Meanwhile, former UAAP Juniors MVP Thirdy Ravena is set to come back as early as next season and will look to replicate his older brother’s success. The Ateneo is also awaiting the debut of the highly touted prospect CJ Perez, who is about to complete his residency this school year.
“The Nietos, Thirdy will be back. CJ Perez will be there, Jolo Mendoza. All those other guys will be there next year,” Ravena said. “Hopefully, makabawi sila (Hopefully, they can make a comeback).”
Box Scores:
Ateneo 74 – Ravena 25, Wong 17, Pessumal 15, Gotladera 8, Ikeh 4, Nieto 2, Go 2, Capacio 1, Babilonia 0, Black 0, A. Tolentino 0, Pingoy 0, M. Tolentino 0
FEU 76 – Pogoy 16, Belo 15, Tolomia 13, Inigo 9, Dennison 6, Jose 5, Escoto 4, Orizu 4, Arong 4, Tamsi 0
Quarter Scores: 12-19, 32-38, 50-56, 74-76
Updated November 22, 2015, 9:30AM
